1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to an improved protective device for outer aircraft or air control surfaces such as wings, wing-tanks, rudders and elevators which can become damaged during periods of non-use such as might occur during in-hanger storage. The protective device of the invention comprises a laminate which has a tough, water-imperative outer layer and a less dense inner layer which can be quickly attached or removed from the aircraft.
2. Description Of The Prior Art And Objectives of the Invention
Small aircraft are often stored for extended periods of time in hangers and other locations and often have to be moved about by maintenance personnel by manual efforts, oftentimes in close or cramped areas where storage space is at a minimum. Wing and tail surfaces are often bumped or scratched as the exposed outer surfaces are quite fragile to impact forces and are expensive to repair. It is not uncommon for ground personnel, while rolling one (1) plane out of a hanger to midjudge the wing-tip clearance between it and another plane and allow the wing-tips to brush one another thereby causing damage to both wing-tips, much to the dismay of the plane owners.
With this background in mind the present invention was developed in one of its main objectives is to provide an aircraft protective device which will protect wing and tail surfaces from minor brushes and collisions as occur during periods of storage.
It is another objective of the present invention to provide an laminated aircraft protective device which has a dense water-impervious outer layer formed from a polymeric material and a less dense closed cell polymeric foam inner layer.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide an aircraft protective device which can be quickly attached to the aircraft and which can be rapidly and easily removed prior to flight.
It is still another objective of the present invention to provide an aircraft protective device which has a plurality of resilent cords for simple attachment purposes.
Other advantages and objectives of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description of the invention is set forth below.